Jane Harman resigned from Congress February 28, 2011 to join the Woodrow Wilson Center as its first female Director, President and CEO.

Representing the aerospace center of California during nine terms in Congress, she served on all the major security committees: six years on Armed Services, eight years on Intelligence, and eight on Homeland Security. During her long public career, Harman has been recognized as a national expert at the nexus of security and public policy issues, and has received numerous awards for distinguished service.

She is a member of the Defense Policy Board, the State Department Foreign Policy Board, and the Homeland Security Advisory Committee. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Trilateral Commission and the Advisory Board of the Munich Security Conference.

Harman is a Trustee of the Aspen Institute and the University of Southern California. She is also a member of the Presidential Debates Commission.

A product of Los Angeles public schools, Harman is a magna cum laude graduate of Smith College, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and Harvard Law School. Prior to serving in Congress, she was Staff Director of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights, Deputy Cabinet Secretary to President Jimmy Carter, Special Counsel to the Department of Defense, and in private law practice.

She has four adult children and four grandchildren.

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Jane Harman comments on the developing ISIL situation; what might happen if ISIL did, in fact, obtain three fighter jets, the power and success of the Kurdish fighters, and the role that Turkey has played in the conflict. more

Jane Harman contributed a short analysis to a debate on the U.S. defense budget for Politico’s “The Agenda,” arguing that expenditures for the latest counter-terrorism efforts against ISIL should be part of Congressionally authorized defense expenditures rather than in a separate fund. more

The Predator was transformed in a shockingly short time from a flimsy remote-control airplane with a camera under its chin to the first killing device whose users could stalk and annihilate a targeted individual on the other side of the world from a position of utter invulnerability. Join us as author Richard Whittle and former National Security Council counter-terrorism senior adviser, Richard Clarke, discuss this controversial topic with the release of Whittle's new book: Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution. more

"At this point in his presidency, Barack Obama has an opportunity to build consensus. With Eric Holder’s resignation, he should consider taking this opportunity to mend fences and revive a Cabinet once billed as a 'team of rivals.' So how about a Republican for attorney general?" writes Jane Harman. more

"Despite its claims to the contrary, ISIS looks outmatched. But our recent strikes were just an opening salvo. A considered, long-term strategy (including kinetic action) needs a careful framework and congressional authorization. The debate is crucial, and the only way to make room for debate is with a special session of Congress. The president should seek it now," writes Jane Harman. more

As the Obama Administration seeks to fashion a policy to counter ISIS, it confronts a complex situation on the ground, particularly in Syria. Three analysts and experts discuss the military/political landscape in Syria and the challenges it poses. more

"Our counter narrative against ISIL is what is going to win the day. If we don't win the argument, we, the coalition of forty, are never going to prevail against the extremists." says Jane Harman. more

“The Environmental Change and Security Program is one of the most innovative programs here at the Wilson Center,” says President and CEO Jane Harman on the 20th anniversary of the program. “The program’s hallmark has been content that brings timely analysis to new audiences in new ways." more

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"American opponents of women's rights used to argue that "biology is destiny" and that therefore women's role in the world had to be limited to bearing and raising children. Women like my mother and me who wanted more than that felt like outsiders in the 1950s and 1960s –and in too many parts of the world this is still true," writes Jane Harman.

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"Vladimir Putin doesn't know the Colin Powell rule -- if you break it you own it. And if he breaks up Crimea, he's going to own their pension liabilities, their tanked economy, at a time when the Russian economy is stretched," Harman said.

Jane Harman was a panelist on "Fox News Sunday" with columnist George Will, Heritage Action for America CEO Michael Needham and Fox News political analyst Juan Williams to discuss Russia and the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the presidential budget. "There is a possibility that Putin's efforts could backfire here. We have to be adroit, we and the rest of the world that really cares about a Ukraine that has a modern, pluralist, technocrat government," Harman said.

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During a humanitarian crisis, food relief, critical medical care, and access to safe water and basic sanitation facilities all require a humanitarian as well as a diplomatic response. No one is better placed to help us understand these complex shifts than Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross. In this Director's Forum event, Maurer will talk with Jane Harman to give a first-hand update on the key challenges the ICRC faces.

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